Ooohhhhhhh - thank you!

Remember the paintings she had in her Master Bedroom over each bedside table? They have a new home in the LR! She has such nice taste. I think what I like about it the most is it's not over the top fake decor.

Her rooms are very attractive, but still very livable.

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

I would be happy to take the dining room furniture off her hands :-)

Thank you so much for linking that. I'm not familiar with her or her previous home. Her style is not mine at all but I absolutely appreciate her tips for working with a builder's grade home, and quite inexpensively. We have transformed our builder's grade home but, unfortunately, expensively. Of course we don't plan on moving any time soon, but none of our beautiful changes can be taken with us as they can with this homeowner.

I think that is invaluable advice!

I've already googled BM Hazy Skies ;)

I think I liked her rooms from the other house better. I do like the living room and the paintings look great in there. I had forgotten that she is a hair stylist. Thanks for sharing kmcg!!

tina

Don't care for the kitchen or the DR but boy the rest looks great. I especially love the innovative window treatments. That sun room also has my vote as a pleasant space on a winter afternoon. I have not seen her other home. Is there somewhere one can see pics from it ? Thanks for linking this. c

She has a talent for putting things together, and making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The house itself is pretty meh in the architecture department.

In a philosophical sense it kind of bothers me that nice decoration in inferior architecture gets an awful lot of design press in the local mags. Maybe I would feel better if they were occasionally sub-titled, "good decorating in a design-cliche-ridden builder's house" (or sometimes even "bad house"), but they never are.

It kind of lowers the bar of what people's expections are of design, (not decorating), because these hard to deal with, awkward rooms get tacit approval by appearing over and over in local magazines, design supplements and show houses everywhere.

I know I am a snob, sorry.

Pal, I don't think you're a "snob." You have extraordinary taste, & the knowledge to support it. You are perceptive and sensitive to detail. That's great. Do remember though, that "inferior" or "meh" architecture is what many of us have to live with, even if we'd prefer to be surrounded by historic character and have baseboards up to our knees!

I actually perceive "builder grade" as code for "bad house." Lots of us ended up in such a place though. What to do? Should we "builder grade" residents just give up?

I don't think of builder grade as bad house - just lacking.

Trailrunner - search on Rate My Space under her name.

tina

Pal, on the one hand, I totally agree with you. The more exposure it gets, the more accepted it is. On the other hand, though, I would say that so many people live in either tract homes or apartments that are already built and lacking any kind of architectural detail at all, that we NEED to see these kinds of houses. Most people don't have the funds or furtitude to gut their house and redo what's there, so working with what's given is just what most of us have to do.

In a perfect world, designers and builders would do better.

That's what I was trying to say, Franksmom!

Pal - I agree w/ you totally. Maybe it's my love of architecture and never, ever, ever having lived in anything less than 100 yrs. old. I'm not a snob that way - every home I lived in was cheap and had to be repaired/ restored whatever by my parents. More than likely it was as a child eagerly going to job sites w/ my step-dad and watching a home be restored to it's past glory.

I like how you differentiated design and decorating.

I'm loooking forward to reading the whole article. You guys pointed out some good things to keep my eyes open for.

Ttodd, then I'll ask you. What should those of us who are not fortunate enough to live in houses like you've lived in all your life do? "Nice decoration in inferior architecture" is the most many of us can hope for. That's the reality.

I agree that we need to see that something can be done with these houses. And really I feel like I am preaching to the choir in this forum. So, the people who frequent this forum know that there is something not quite right about these houses--

How many posts start with "how can I decorate this (read "compensate for") this problem area" which then depicts or describes one of the "features" that buyers supposedly love about these houses.

I would much rather live in a featureless apartment that was a series of rectangular boxes (and I have), than one of these houses with the platforms over the entryway closet, the toaster slot of double height entryway, rooms overlooking others, angled rooms, odd niches, vaulted bathrooms and embellishments that seem unrelated to anything.

I am not criticizing people that buy these houses: people by in the Location they need to, at the square footage they require, at the price they can afford. Not everyone can deal with an old house, and the vast majority cannot afford to build a new house without some of these features.

Its just that the more often this type of design gets exposure by supposed tastemakers, the more it gets integrated that these strange hard to decorate spaces are the norm...and also maybe something you are supposed to Want. In the housing bubble of a few years ago, people were flipping 150 year old houses around here by making them look like the suburban model, ruining a house that needed work but at least had good proportions.

Well, to me palimpsest's posts come across as elitist although I think I understand what he is trying to say (in an inclusive way), and I do second stinky's rhetorical point, although I don't see "builder grade" as being code for "bad house." (as I mentioned in the other thread, and I think my laundry room reno is the perfect proving point that builder grade materials [oak cabs, laminate countertops] can be terrific!)

We live where we live for whatever reason(s), and we all want to make our homes as comfortable, inviting, etc. as possible. While the hpj style is not mine (to be redundant), I *do* appreciate that she and her "builder grade" home are getting attention, that showing how to accommodate some of the ubiquitous design details (double height rooms, for one) is demonstrated.

This is the world in which we now live (speaking parochially, of course). In NAmerica we live in b-i-g houses with open floor plans and "grand" entries. So how do we make it into what we want? How do we give it our imprimatur?

Some are lucky and have the vision, ability and finances to do just that; others need more help, and we all like to be inspired!

I do love her style, but I have to say, I have drooled over her previous bedroom for so long that it just pains me that she doesn't have it anymore. I also noticed the bedroom pictures are now in the other room and it just feels wrong, wrong, wrong. Oh, and those luscious Toile drapes she had in her bedroom are gone. I know people get tired of things and need to move on, but her old bedroom was perfection and I'm not ready for her to move on :)

Laurie

I agree that there is a lot of "weirdness" out there. My goodness I agree. Come into my master bathroom, Pal, & you'll find nearly all the groteseque features you list in your third paragraph. I know I will have to gut that bathroom & get rid of some of those weird angles & other features you're speaking of. It's a big nightmare. So, yes, pics of well-done design can aid me in knowing what a bathroom "should" be shaped like, what a good layout would look like. To that end, yes, the "ideal" image helps.

Both sorts of images help. It's great to see the ideal and learn indeed, what that even is, and it's also good to see what can be done with the less than ideal.

I understand what Pal was saying, and don't think he sounded elitist at all. I've never lived in a builder grade home, but have lived in several apartments. imo, it's not only how you treat what the house/apartment/condo/townhouse has (bones) but what you put in it.

To me, the kitchen in the link still appears "builder grade." It doesn't fit with the DR at all - not even after she adds beams (her next move).

What can be done? Anything that adds character - Add trim (all room should have crown). Upgrading/replacing (vinyl/metal blinds, door hardware, light fixtures, vinyl kitchen/bathroom flooring, laminate counters. Sometimes even replacing or at least painting/reworking cabinets - depends on what they are.) Fresh colors/paint, especially getting rid of stark white ceilings (in traditional, country, French, etc home - modern, shabby chic ok)

Rmkitchen, I guess I'm saying that often when you hear that phrase used in a sentence, it is being used in a pejorative manner, hence, "code" for "bad." I've said myself, "I replaced all the builder-grade light fixtures in my house. Can't believe no one else in 18 years ever thought to do so!" When people are pleased with something, they usually say, it's "original" to the house, or "I love those cabinets. They came with the house." They don't usually say, "I love those builder-grade cabinets!" Even if that's what they are!

I worked on a house that was a low-mid-level project for a local architect that had a fairly boilerplate, but Nice layout. The bathroom was slated to have a skylight over the large shower.

When I looked at the floorplan, I asked for the elevations that showed what this room was going to *look* like because there was no indication of what this doorless shower with dry off area and toilet compartment + double vanity was going to be other than the floorplan.

There was none. There was no plan for how these separate spaces ended at the ceiling, what the ceiling looked like, how the skylight was finished, nothing.

It could have been completely up to the framer and drywaller what it turned into. And I drew three of these on a piece of paper right then and there, and two of them were absolute nightmares. The architect asked me if I wanted a part time job: No one else had even thought of this. (Or how the lightbulbs were going to be changed in the fixtures that were to be placed in the attic dormers would be changed).

So some of these things are the result of something that looks good on a flat drawing or floorplan that gets constructed seat of the pants. And since its a spec house, nobody sees it til its done.

All good tips, Allison. I'm trying to do everything you just listed. Really trying to add character. Also the big bathroom remodel, uggh. That's why I need to see pics of both the "real deal" (like your house) and those like the one in the link on this thread!

My first house, which I lived in for 13 years, was 100 years old and I grew up in old houses too. They were a lot of work. This 1987 house is a lot of work in its own way too!

Yeah, why does no one think about how light bulbs are going to get changed?

My daughter's closet (that has the most worthless 14ft. ceilings) are 43" wide and have those screwed on glass globe mushroom lights because *by code* you can't have an exposed bulb in a closet...even if said bulb is a good 9' above anything combustible. Both lights are now burned out and guess what, I can't get a ladder in there or, even I could, my chubby rear end in there since there are shelves that are 14" deep! At least if I had cans, I could shove a pole in there and change the bulbs.

Geez. it was like this project my contractor's first rodeo or something.

/hijack

Stinky-gardener - I guess it's all in how one defines fortunate. I had opportunity to grow up in older homes because they were the cheapest homes and the only ones that my parents could afford. Luckily that's what my dad did for a living. For other people that is becuase your house is always last on the list. And if your house isn't getting done that's because you have work. And if you do have time to do your house then you must be between jobs, waiting for a job or on vacation. Manors ours were not.

Trust me - when I was in high school and moved to the house that was referred to as 'The Haunted House' that had been unlived in for 25yrs I was not calling myself fortunate. Only in my adult years have I considered it an opportunity. Back then I would have given my eye teeth to live in builders grade LOL!

The homes that my dad restored were those of wealthier individuals who could afford to have things custom built the way that it had been originally. And that's what I feel I was fortunate to see.

Me? I was just begging for a sink in the bathroom for 7yrs. Not cool when your classmates in your new school walk by your home and see you brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink over and over.

I've always equated 'builder grade' w/ 'the foundation to do what you want'. You don't get fenced or hedged in by any given era - the sky is the limit. That's what builder grade says to me: a basic blank sheet to dream endlessly. If I were moving into a newly built home I'd take builders grade over 'up grade' any day of the year. More for me to personalize.

Yes - I am partial to a fantastically designed building (re architecture - not decor) and to me it's art. And I think that many people feel the same way, whether they live in builder grade or not.

In the sense of design, I was lucky, and my parents were lucky. My dad was 45 before they built a house, they built smaller than they could afford so they could do it with some detail and furnish it nicely. My dad took an extra job to pay for the furniture. They found a great builder. There are houses of the same plan or similar plans all around town but even the people who lived in those said this house was different. As an adult I was lucky enough to buy two places that were run down enough that people couldn't see beyond that--but I recognized if the bones still looked good furnished with a torn sofa and mattresses on the floor, it could only get better.

I would also take a builder's grade house that had reasonably proportioned rooms and not too many grandiose details. The last house I made an offer on was a 1960s urban version of a tract house that was nothing special, but it was also nothing pretentious.

Thanks for your reply Ttodd. That was very sweet of you. I appreciate you sharing more of your story and offering a postive slant on the "builder grade" issue (which perked me up!)

Palimpsest, interesting stuff.

Pal, I'm scratching my head when you wrote, "In a philosophical sense it kind of bothers me that nice decoration in inferior architecture gets an awful lot of design press in the local mags."

What's inferior about that house? Or angled rooms and vaulted ceilings? That IS good architecture but in style you personally don't like, while many others do.

I grew up in an old two story home where both "hallways" were octagon shaped. Sure it was unique but I also appreciate the personal details people add to their homes even if they don't have octagon shaped halls.

Especially the sunroom in her house. That's almost exactly like the sunroom in my old house, which we used as a bedroom.

Although her style isn't my taste, it sure doesn't look like inferior architecture.

Is that house "builder grade"? It's sure much grander than my 150 YO house. Old doesn't mean it has better bones or details. Some old houses, like mine, were never anything to write home about.

I think, as has been said, it's about the proportions. Those two story rooms with odd windows just look, well, odd to me. How many posts have there been about how to dress those types of windows or not being able to repaint because you need scaffolding to get to the top of the room or how to decorate some shelf way the heck up there that will only be dusted once or twice a year? Kinda silly. I would rather have a basic ranch house than deal with those two story spaces. Perhaps I'm just too practical.

The family room in that link is appalling---no thought given to how crowded the "semi-custom"(?) wall of shelving and cabinetry would make the room when jammed up against a window. That's not good design or good decorating.

Window placement is the big giveaway for poorly designed homes,IMO. Not just the windows in closets, but the oddly shaped windows like high rectangles apropos of nothing but an available blank space. When you
walk around a house and see one of this window and another of that
kind---lots of one off sizes and shapes all round the house--- that
screams "builder's model" to me. I had a friend who built a house and let
the builder design it. . . . She asked for all sorts of windows based on
where she planned to put her furniture . . . .the builder did not know
enough to try to steer her away from randomly placed and sized windows.
I asked her why she would base the architecture of a house on furniture
she may or may not even have in five years, not to mention the next
occupant. She went ahead and bitterly regretted those silly windows
when bought new things for those rooms.

There's a sort of reverse snobbery at work amongst us decorating types. :) and that is disdain for actually using a designer. There's an undercurrent of feeling that if one has hired a professional then the rooms don't really reflect him or her, but the decorator instead. And yet, how many times have people said after finishing a project that they feel the room or house or curtains or whatever. Didn't really express her personality or did not turn out just as she wanted? That's my rationale for hiring someone---- he has the knowledge and sources to find exactly the right combination that DOES hit the mark exactly and expresses my true taste far better than I could execute it.

Thanks for posting this! Warrenton is right down the road from me so it was nice that they posted where she purchased her home decor items and that they're close to where I live. Plus, I may even make a hair appt. with her. I've been wanting to try a new stylist. What a beautiful home!

I decided that I like her old bedroom better. It'll be interesting to see what she does over time.

Oakley:

Vaulted ceilings, double height rooms, angled rooms, windows on the second story of a double height room are not bad in and of themselves. Any of these things can be done in a good way. One thing that I will go out on a limb and say is Never good, is the closet with the platform on top of it, especially when you can see the top of the platform from somplace.

But when they are mixed and matched apropos of nothing, and create problems with proportion and how to decorate around them...then its bad architecture.

You rarely see questions in here related to decorating to compensate for a simple rectangular room, or for that matter a vaulted ceiling or double height foyer of graceful proportions.

However there are plenty of posts about how to compensate for a double height room with the proportions of a square grain silo, an off-center vaulted ceiling in a small room, an oddly placed niche, weird space over closets, and windows that are too close to other things to put window treatments on...and finally the giant window over the front door that gives a direct street view to the hall bathroom and/or anyone who may want to run downstairs for a minute in their underwear.

These are mostly issues in latter 20th century houses outfitted with faux riche details. I am not talking about the price of the house either, nor necessarily the quality of the build (we buy what we can afford)--I am talking about the quality of the design.

Thanks for posting this Kmcg! I admired her "old rooms" on HGTV Rate MY Space and wondered what had happened to her.

Couldn't log in the last few days, but, boy, this thread took on a life of its own!
Nothing wrong with a good healthy discussion :)
I just enjoy seeing what she does! Having moved myself many times, every new home is a new opportunity to try something different.